FrienDay FriDay :D

FrienDay FriDay is where post a "friend" that I run into, 

or a image that is definitive of the my experience with Cru

 that I would text a picture of to a good friend..

Hey look.. Hey look.. It's me, in the terp bubble! 

I guess there's a first time for everything.. :)

Soli Deo Gloria

T[her]sday: Her day, her way.. Jenna Math 101

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 "Every number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God."
 I try to make sure I get those stories in print in my Meditations&Musings4Mondays, "[what]S'up, Wednesday?" and FrienDay FriDay; but I've realized, I don't have a "numbers crunching post" for those who want the bottom line. Thus, I introduce "T[her]sday: Her day, her way.. Jenna Math". As a caveat though (and really a disclaimer to being terrible at math), these will be more entertaining than they are 100% accurate. "Jenna Math" as my family calls my adding ability often ends up a few numbers off.. So, with that in mind, enjoy these mostly accurate calculations of mine :)

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I landed in Richmond 3 hours ago for the ICOM conference.

I will start interpreting in 1 hour. 

This weekend, I am interpreting 8  different sessions - which you can watch online here!

The conference is only 4  days long - but that's four more days than I've previously left Jaelyn somewhere without me!

This is the 5 th and last time I'm going to link to the live stream web cast - if you have not yet clicked the link - do it now!!! ;)

Soli Deo Gloria
:D

[what]S'up, Wednesday?

[what]S'up, Wednesday?" is a place where I give updates about how day to day life is going as I work recruiting Deaf students to be involved with CRU, ASL Interpreters to meet the subsequent communication needs incurred, and prayer partners/a financial support base to join me on the journey. It will typically include something that has just happened, a "forecast of my schedule, and an update on my financial situation.. :)
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Happenings: I've been asked to come help coordinate the interpreters for a missions conference in Virginia at the end of October. It's a different kind of conference than I've usually done, and I'm looking forward to the challenge. This conference also live-streams their interpreters (something else that I am in need of learning more about) so I'm looking forward to being a sponge while I'm there and soaking up lots of technical info! Since the current interpreter coordinator for the conference will be with me the first few days we are there, this conference is considered training for me - yay! I'll take over 3 days into the 4.5 day conference, and it's sink or swim from there :) I'll be leaving Jaelyn with Azael (first time away from mommy!), so pray for him if you think about it. :)
ALSO - the Deaf movement at RIT was in the pape! Cru has a quarterly magazine that they publish to encourage those supporting the mission, and Hands of Fire made it in an article! :) Please click the link to see the story and get to know the Deaf staff and students a lil better.

Schedule:
* End of October (October 28-November 1st) I'll be in Virginia for the icom conference. 
* In December, the annual winter conference will be in Washington, D.C. and students from both Gallaudet and RIT will be able to attend :) More info on that to come.
* A little ways out, but Big Break will be in Florida again, during spring break in March. :)

Finances: I am still working on raising the funds needed to complete the "Matching Grant" I was given towards the Interpreting Fund budget for the year 2015. If you are preparing to give an "end of the year" gift this year, please consider donating to the interpreting fund so that we can continue to provide these services to the Deaf community. To date I have had $1,280  donated towards the matching grant, meaning that since January, I have raised $2,560. That leaves $25,976  to still be raised. If you know of anyone interested in donating towards this amount, please hit reply (if you are reading this in your inbox) or contact me at jenna.buperry @ cru.org to introduce me to you friends! We know the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child" - I'll add, "it takes a community to 'win, build and send' laborers for Christ!" Would you join my community?

If you desire to partner with me monthly, my personal account is #0865449. I now have a bio page set up on the Cru give.org site with a link to my blog, and easy giving accessibility. 

Thanks for stewarding your resources well! 

Soli Deo Gloria
:D

Meditations&Musings4Mondays

Monday's postings are longer, more in-depth thoughts or stories that I feel the need to share. If you don't have time to read this now, you can look at the cliff notes versions that come out in my "[what]S'up, Wednesday?" posts. When you have the time, please feel encouraged by the stories God is telling, and musings that he brings to my mind. 
HAPPY MONDAY :D
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On Failing.. and the concept of attempting to "fail forward"..

Sooo.. it's been a while since I've posted an update.. And really it's a combination of "time-got-away-from-me" and "we-just-moved-and-it's-taken-me-a-while-to-set-up-internet" but mostly due to the "I-feel-like-the-most-recent-thing-I-did-was-a-run-your-head-into-the-wall-kind-of-failure-and-I'm-not-sure-where-to-go-next" discouragement that came after I spent 10 days in Colorado. I was at the biannual Cru Staff conference in July in order to interpret the content of the main speakers that would be live-streamed. This conference brings over 3,000 current and newly joined staff to one location (CSU in Fort Collins) for a time to refresh and set the pace for the next 2 years. At the conference, they also live-stream the main sessions in order to accommodate the staff members that due to conflicting family schedules, restricted travel due to living overseas or other factors are not able to attend. It also allows our ministry partners (YOU) to eavesdrop on some amazing speakers (which can be seen here). (I intended to post an update once I got to CSU telling you about your opportunity to tune into the live stream, but the Internet and my computer would NOT cooperate in Colorado.) :( The current two Deaf staff members were not able to attend the conference this summer, and so the plan was that I go and interpret the sessions via live stream so that they would also know what was happening at the conference. If you happened to click the first link, you'll see that there are over 30 videos. If you look at the playlist (here is what is up right now) of the videos that are currently interpreted, you'll see a dismal few. Which is that 'failing' part that I mentioned in the first sentence. 

And I know that it's mostly *not* my fault that it failed. And I know that I gave my best effort.. I was met with resistance at almost every turn, and I got weary in the fight.. BUT still.. I failed.. and it was not something I expected, thus it's caught me up in this quandary.

You may be asking, "Jenna, it seems like you just hit some road blocks, but I wouldn't call that failure.. why do you feel like you failed?" Well, for starters take a look at these two pictures.. 

See those words in blue? and the lack of videos uploaded? Kinda self-explanatory.. Remember I said that the internet and I were not friends while at the conference.. It's frustrating enough to be working really hard on a project and met with resistance from people who are a subjective entity in their opinions and interaction with others.. however, when an item that should be a neutral, objective party provides resistance too, it's easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged.. 

And I can hear you thinking (yes, telepathically) "But Jenna, it couldn't have been that bad.." 

And.if.I.told.you.everything.that.went.wrong.every.day.this.post.would.take.you.5.hours.to.read.and.who.wants.to.sit.and.read.a.disaster.like.that..I.really.don't.think.you.have.time.to.listen.to.how.within.the.first.15.min.of.arriving.I.didn't.have.childcare.for.my.daughter.because.while.I.thought.I.had.signed.her.up.apparently.the.system.had.a.glitch.and.she.wasn't.registered.and.even.if.I.did.register.her.there.was.a.wait.list.and.if.she.got.in.she.can't.use.the.cloth.diapers.I.brought.and.I.don't.have.a.car.to.go.get.disposable.diapers.for.her.and.speaking.of.no.car.childcare.is.2.miles.away.and.only.opens.30.min.before.each.main.meeting.session.but.I.need.to.be.at.those.sessions.an.hour.before.they.start.to.set.up.and.meet.the.speakers.and.so.what.am.I.suppose.to.do.when.I'm.interpreting.for.2.or.more.hours.a.day.with.her..Wear.her.on.my.back.like.they.do.in.other.countries.when.mom.works.in.the.fields..And.even.if.she.gets.in.you.don't.have.the.required.paperwork.that.you.were.suppose.to.have.filled.out.by.your.pediatrician.at.home.and.they.are.closed.today.and.you.can't.bring.her.until.we.have.that.form.so.I.guess.you'll.just.have.to.miss.the.first.session.cuz.the.form.is.important.and.interpreting.can.happen.at.a.later.time,right? (You are suppose to read this in one breath, so you know how frazzled I felt)

After about 45 mins of filling out paperwork and talking to the right people, a woman offered to go to the store and buy a pack of disposable diapers for Jaelyn to use while in Childcare, a spot opened up for her to be accepted, and I found a friend who offered a ride to get her to and from the childcare location. However, the rest of the conference went about like that.. though, unfortunately most of the "I'm.sorry.you.can't.do.that/have.that./be.there/we.can't.accomodate.you" situations did not work themselves out like the childcare one did and I was left to figure it out on my own.. at a conference that I've never attended before, where I was "single parenting it" while trying to work 6 hours a day for events that were not on a flexible schedule.. (to any single parent out there reading this - I have a much better appreciation for what you do every day. I was very grateful to those friends that I did run into at the conference who offered to help out with Jaelyn for short amounts of time.) That being said, I felt like I just got more and more run down with each new day and each new obstacle faced. 

And I don't want this entry to be a downer. My goal in sharing the above is to give you a glimpse into the 10 days that I was there.. It was hard.. And could I have had lower expectations for the conference and the process? Yes, I could have. But I went in thinking that I would at least be welcomed to the table, so to speak, and instead I was handed the folding chair with the wobbly legs and told to set up against the wall and hold my plate on my lap. Not ideal (not easy when juggling a baby either), but survivable. 

So, back to thoughts on how to "fail forward" - It's hard.. it's hard to simply just fail. It's hard to not meet the expectations that you set for yourself - especially if other people are counting on you. It's also very humbling to fail.. but it's humbling-er (is that a word? more humbling?) to attempt to fail with grace so not as to burn bridges as you tumble down, and then once you've finished failing, to get up and try again (with the same people that just watched you fall on your face).. And that's the place I feel like I'm currently residing. Attempting to take the experience I had, and not let it become a bitter root, but instead asking Abba for wisdom to take the good and learn from the frustrating. It is HARD. Cuz there was s.o.  m.u.c.h.  f.r.u.s.t.r.a.t.i.n.g.. 

I think this quote (I've used here before) from a Cru staff individual back in my college days resonates with my experience.
 "Life wouldn't be so hard, if we didn't expect it to be so easy.."

And maybe that was the goal - His Goal, anyway.. To allow me to experience the frustration. To see how determined my spirit is to bring this level of training that Cru offers to the Deaf community. Maybe the test was to see if I'd fail and give up, or fail and get up and try again.. who really knows (He does, but doesn't seem too keen on filling me in on the details as of yet).. All that to say - I'm back.. there's still more work to get done, and I've got my sleeves rolled up ready to start.. I'll send out an update Wednesday with What'Sup :) 

Praying your Monday has started off swimmingly! :)

Soli Deo Gloria
:D